It might not look like it in the photo above but this was the most intimidating water I had tried paddling. The Bang Pakong river estuary at the eastern edge of Thailand's central plains. The currents were strong at times but not that bad and my inflatable kayak could easily cope with the moderate waves it sometimes produced but what I hadn't realised before choosing this site was just how big the shipping tankers that plied its waters were.
The lower reaches of the Bang Pakong river are quite industrialised including a major power station, and the large fuel/cargo tankers serving it were going at least a couple of kilometres up the river right passed my paddling area. However, it is still a great spot for birdlife and that was my main interest.
I stayed at a pleasant place called Baan Plaaloma (Dolphin Resort) a short distance down a side canal from the estuary proper. There are still a few Irrawaddy dolphins in the area but seeing them needs a boat with a motor and lots of luck.
Baan Plaaloma Resort
A good restaurant at the resort and easy access to the water suited my needs perfectly. They also rent out kayaks by the hour but I had my own and wanted to be out in the cool of dusk and dawn when the rental wasn't open.
Launching a kayak onto peaceful waters with a glow in the sky but the sun still just below the horizon is such a great pleasure. I always aim to be on the water this early. I headed up the calm canal with its kingfishers and egrets already busy. Then the feeling shifted as I reached the open estuary. It was still quiet and beautiful but the swirling, bouncing waves and stronger currents made me focus much more on not paddling too far out of my comfort zone.
At first I hugged the shore and explored a patch of flooded mangrove forest. The tide was high enough for me to get in amongst the trees and I spent a happy few minutes paddling around getting disorientated. But I had a different target in mind so didn't linger and found my way back out.
Three kilometres upstream is Bird Island, which not only has lots of birds but also a colony of flying foxes. It was quite an effort to get there against the water flow where the choice was sticking to the slower water close to shore or taking a more direct route through faster currents that cuts off the river's bend. I compromised and did a bit of both, always with an anxious eye on the steady line of ships sharing my route. From a distance they seemed so slow giving me the impression that I could easily move out of their way if necessary. But as they passed by their true speed became apparent and I pictured myself as flotsam drifting around the estuary until a passing fisherman scoped my remains out. I gave the ships great respect and enormous safety margins.
The estuary is a well-used space with a range of different sized motor-boats and lots of wooden and bamboo structures that I assume are something to do with fisheries but cannot explain properly. A lot of them seemed unused and dilapidated. Unlike many of my paddles around Thailand's waterways everybody I saw was too far away for any communication so I had no chance to ask any stupid questions.
Bird Island was thriving with life and looked fantastic but was tantilisingly out of reach. On GoogleEarth I had seen a jetty where I had hoped to land and get to the watch-tower or failing that paddle down a channel that would take me close to the centre of the island. However, due to the falling tide neither was possible unless I waded through thick mud where I would probably get badly stuck. So I made do with a complete circuit around the island in my kayak getting glimpses of the birds and extremely brief glimpses of the bats. It was good to see that the wildlife was doing well even though I heard far more than I saw.
Indian and Little Cormorants
On the way back I decided to have a look at the far shore, which meant 'sprinting' across the shipping channel. I managed it with about a kilometre to spare before the next ship and wondered why I had been so nervous! The far shore was less interesting with fewer mangrove trees and less wildlife so I headed back across the estuary towards the resort.
It was at this point that I noticed that my kayak was coming apart. It is made up of three separate air chambers that are glued together. The glued seams at the front were starting to fail and I could see the tops of waves seeping in. I glanced nervously at the ships and the 1.5km distance I had to cover across wide open water. The back of the kayak seemed okay so I leaned backwards to lift the front and paddled frantically. I could see the gap in the seams slowly getting wider.
It was only once back at the safety of the canal that I realised all the ships were actually stationary due to the low tide so the only danger had been me getting very wet - even full of water inflatable kayaks don't actually sink but would be very, very hard to paddle. I later managed to repair the seams although this close shave made me more cautious and a year later the seams all failed beyond repair so I had to give up with this kayak.
Overall this was a great trip around the Bang Pakong estuary with a good share of interest and excitement that I have since repeated two more times without serious incident!
